Re: Non-text mode for pg_dumpall

Andrew Dunstan <andrew(at)dunslane(dot)net> writes:
> Before we throw the baby out with the bathwater, how about this
> suggestion? pg_dumpall would continue to produce globals.dat, but it
> wouldn't be processed by pg_restore, which would only restore the
> individual databases. Or else we just don't produce globals.dat at all.
> Then we could introduce a structured object that pg_restore could safely
> use for release 19, and I think we'd still have something useful for
> release 18.

I dunno ... that seems like a pretty weird behavior. People would
have to do a separate text-mode "pg_dumpall -g" and remember to
restore that too. Admittedly, this could be more convenient than
"pg_dumpall -g" plus separately pg_dump'ing each database, which is
what people have to do today if they want anything smarter than a flat
text dumpfile. But it still seems like a hack --- and it would not be
compatible with v19, where presumably "pg_dumpall | pg_restore"
*would* restore globals. I think that the prospect of changing
dump/restore scripts and then having to change them again in v19
isn't too appetizing.

regards, tom lane